"bay area" news and stories

New York used to be the undisputed king of the country's culinary scene, but these days, Northern California's Bay Area is giving the Big Apple a run for its money. The birthplace of the organics movement, this coastal region is populated with wealthy consumers willing to pay for good food, and is surrounded by small-scale farmers and foragers happy to provide them with locally grown produce and innovative food products.

The proof is in the grocery aisle. Supermarket chains are looking to the Bay Area to find their newest hot products. In fact, Whole Foods employs a full-time forager in the region to turn up local finds -- the only such position in the company's 284-store chain. The holder of the title, Harvindar Singh, spends his days searching for hidden gems made by small producers.

Singh has a number of successful discoveries under his belt, like vegan Bolani flatbread (now sold nationally) and enormously popular kombucha tea on tap (he first saw it served this way in Oakland). The Fiji native started working for Whole Foods in 2005 as a marketing and community relations coordinator, but became a forager in 2007.

A weekly look at the draft selection at beer-friendly bars across the country.

As I've mentioned before, the San Francisco Bay Area has a rich history for beer and brewing. As a result, the city sports a lot of great beer bars and brewpubs. On a recommendation from a friend who was recently in said city, this week's What's On Tap takes a look at one of the area's newer gastropubs, The Monk's Kettle.

Foodies take note: The Monk's Kettle (opened in December of 2007) really aims to put the "gastro" in gastropub. Now, I don't get paid to talk about food (I had half a boiled potato and Fun Dip for dinner), but their fries comes with something called "aioli" and they've got an $8 pretzel on the menu (not sure if that's a pro or a con to try to get beer drinkers through the door).

But food aside, The Monk's Kettle's beer list alone proves they are worthy of a stop if you happen to be in the neighborhood. Check out their entire current draft list after the jump...

So, I know I can be a little East Coast centric with my beer posts. That's what living on the East Coast for the past 7 years or so has done to me. But this only makes me all the more excited to be able to promote SF Beer Week which begins in the San Francisco Bay Area tomorrow.

Running from February 6th through to Sunday, February 15th, more than 100 San Francisco breweries and pubs are participating in around 150 events intended to celebrate the early roots of the modern Renaissance in artisan beers.

With the relatively recent explosion of craft beers and microbreweries across the entire country, it's easy to forget that San Francisco was one of the major forefathers of the brewing revival. Legendary beer writer Michael Jackson went so far as to state in his seminal book The World Guide to Beer, "The rediscovery of American beer began in the West...not in trend-addicted Los Angeles...but in and around San Francisco." He often spoke affectionately of the Anchor Brewery and references Fritz Maytag's involvement with the company as a major turning point in American brewing.

When Maytag became involved with Anchor in 1965, no more than a couple hundred active breweries existed in the U.S. -- maybe less. Today, the country boasts over 1,400 craft breweris, and as SF Beer Week reminds us, "Northern California alone has more breweries than most states and enjoys an unrivaled reputation for the quality and diversity of its craft beer."

Additional info and event listings can be found on the SF Beer Week website at www.sfbeerweek.org.

[Photo Credit: SFBEERWEEK.org]

The feature story this week is on the Bay Area's small-batch coffee roasters.

Spring-time calls for salads made of young greens. Recipes are for: Parsley Salad with Green Onions, Cherry Tomatoes & Spicy Lime Dressing, Truffley Salad of Arugula, Buffalo Mozzarella, and Salad with the Herbs of Spring.

The Working Cook turns to cous cous, coming up with two recipes with three kinds of cous cous: Warm Salad with Couscous & Grilled Coriander Chicken and Sea Bass with Seared Asparagus, Little Pasta & "Beurre Blanc".

East to West lets out the seaweed secret with a recipe for Wakame Cucumber Salad.

On a Chef's Night In, Jamaican is comfort food: Jamaican Curry Chicken and Jamaican Rice & Peas

Taster's Choice this week tests multi-grain waffles, and Van's eggless, dairy-free waffles come out on top.

Source

The feature story this week is on restaurateur and chef Michael Mina, with a recipe for his Seafood Bake.

The Accidental Vegetarian cooks greens galore with recipes for Pasta with Sugar Snap Peas, Asparagus, Ricotta & Brown Butter and Green Onion Crepes with Creamy Eggs & Wild Mushrooms.

Cinco de Mayo isn't just about margaritas. South to North has recipes for Guacamole with a Balloon Whisk, Grilled Sweet Potatoes with Orange Chipotle Glaze, Turkey Tenderloins & Sausages with Agave Marinade, and Salsa de Molcajete.

Other recipes this week include: Asian-Flavored Braised Pork Belly, Coin Toss Cocktail, Agricole Rhum Punch and Airmail Cocktail.